# Decoding parametric attributes of auditory working memories from human brain activity

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $601,029

## Abstract

Decoding parametric attributes of auditory working memories from human brain activity
Auditory working memory (WM) refers to our capacity to maintain and manipulate relevant sound information to
support communication and problem solving. Auditory WM dysfunctions are evidenced in individuals with
speech perception disorders, language and reading impairments, and other disorders involving dysfunction of
auditory cognition, such as central auditory processing disorders (CAPD). Better understanding of auditory WM
would help develop more precise biomarkers and targeted interventions for these deficits. Evidence for
neuronal activation related to auditory WM patterns have been found in laboratory animals as well as in non-
invasive human neuroimaging studies, both in auditory cortices (AC) and elsewhere in the brain. Recent
human fMRI data also provide some evidence on item-specific activation patterns in ACs and frontal cortices.
However, exactly where in the brain auditory WM content is stored and, more importantly, how the memorized
information is represented is still unclear.
 This research program pursues a better understanding of human auditory WM by attempting to infer
its contents from the brain: Using state-of-the-art non-invasive neuroimaging and advanced signal-analysis
methods we will search for cortical activation patterns that would predict item-specific WM information. We will
examine brain function non-invasively with magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG/EEG), transcranial
magnetic stimulation (TMS), and functional MRI (fMRI), and validate the findings using intracranial EEG (iEEG)
measurements in presurgical patients. Recent studies suggest that, instead of persistent activation patterns,
WM is supported by short-term synaptic facilitation, i.e., "activity-silent" population-level mechanisms. We
hypothesize that these activity-silent representations could be decoded by analyzing the aftereffects of generic
auditory "impulse stimuli" or TMS, which are utilized to "ping" the underlying cortical network during memory
maintenance. We also hypothesize that although auditory WM likely involves co-operation of multiple brain
regions, which are involved in articulatory-motor functions, perceptual categorization, or semantic processing,
the retention of auditory-sensory attributes such as spectrotemporal modulation patterns critically depends on
ACs. To examine WM of such auditory attributes, we will use tasks with dynamic ripple sound stimuli, which
are spectrotemporally similar to human vocalizations but resist non-auditory processing strategies.
 The major significance of this project is that it will increase the understanding of auditory WM, a crucial
cognitive function whose neuronal bases have remained elusive. The results may also help develop more
precise tools for characterizing auditory WM dysfunctions in hearing and communication deficits as well as in
disorders such as dyslexia, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9870791
- **Project number:** 5R01DC016915-03
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jyrki Ahveninen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $601,029
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9870791

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9870791, Decoding parametric attributes of auditory working memories from human brain activity (5R01DC016915-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9870791. Licensed CC0.

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